Concise news summaries, often with the benefit of at least 24 hours of hindsight
Russia still poses the greatest threat to Finland’s national security, according to the latest National Security Overview published today by Supo, its national intelligence agency.
Supo’s report warned that Russia’s resources will be freed up once the war in Ukraine ends, and these resources could be redirected towards hybrid influencing campaigns targeting other European countries, including Finland.
The main goal of Russia’s hybrid influencing efforts, for the time being at least, is to undermine Western support for Ukraine, according to the report.
In his foreword, Juha Martelius, the head of Supo, wrote that the world has entered a “gloomy era of superpower competition and confrontation between states” which is also seeing an increase in the use of proxies.
Source: Yle
A wordless animated film from Latvia made using open-source software beat out some of the biggest names in Hollywood on Sunday, as the county won it first-ever Oscar, drawing attention to its film industry.
Flow, made using Blender, a free graphics software tool, cost $3.4 million (€3.2 million) to produce. The favourite to win as best animated feature during the 97th Academy Awards, was The Wild Robot, produced by the Dreamworks studio and costing $78 million to make.
The film is described as a parable that uses the story of a black cat, a dog, a capybara, a ring-tailed lemur and a secretary bird trying to survive a catastrophic flood to show how humans can overcome their differences and work together.
The film is the second second animated film directed by Gints Zilbalodis, but with Flow, he appears to have hit his artistic stride.
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“I think you can express a lot more without words. Some of these emotions and ideas I couldn’t articulate with words but with music, sound, movement and editing, I can say a lot more,” he said. “Those are my favourite kinds of films and favourite scenes and are very cinematic and transcend cultural boundaries.”
Finnish police on Sunday released the dark-fleet tanker accused of damaging an undersea cable between Finland and Estonia on 25 December.
The police are continuing to investigate the Eagle S and members of its crew, but the enquiry, they said, had reached a point where it was no longer necessary to prevent the ship from leaving Finnish waters.
The decision came after Fingrid, the Finnish grid operator, and Elering, its Estonian counterpart, waived their right to continue to have the Cook Islands-flagged vessel detained, saying that the cost of doing so would likely exceed its value.
The two firms said they still plan to file a lawsuit against the Eagle S and its Dubai-based owner for the damages the ship caused.
Poland is in advanced negotiations with six countries to purchase three new submarines under the long-delayed Orka programme, with a decision expected by early 2025, Polish media report.
The defence ministry is in government-to-government talks with France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and South Korea, evaluating proposals based on submarine capabilities, financing and delivery schedules.
The need to purchase new submarines has been given impetus by mounting concerns over the security of the Baltic Sea following Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine and recent incidents of underwater cables in the Baltic being damaged in suspected acts of sabotage.
In recent weeks, Paweł Bejda, the deputy defence minister, has met with officials in Italy, Germany and Sweden to review offers. Further talks with French representatives are scheduled in the coming weeks, Rzeczpospolita, a Polish news outlet, reported.
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In related news, Sweden, on 13 February, re-launched the HMS Halland, the third of its three Gotland-class submarines to undergo comprehensive mid-life overhauls. The programme began in 2018 and is being used to preview new technology that will be employed in its forthcoming Blekinge-class submarines.
Source: TVP
The Nordic Investment Bank saw its lending to the five Nordic and three Baltic countries rise by a quarter last year, as it continued its focus on long-term investments in sustainable energy and productivity.
The NIB disbursed €4.4 billion in 2024, the largest amount in its 50-year history, baring 2020, when lending ballooned as the bank sought to stave off the economic impact of the pandemic.
Lending is forecast to again be strong in 2025, the bank said in its annual report, released on Friday.
Some 20% of disbursements related in some way to energy, reflecting the Nordic-Baltic region’s climate goals and accelerated transition towards energy independence and security.
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NIB is an international financial institution jointly owned by the Nordic and Baltic states. It finances projects that improve productivity and benefit the environment of the Nordic-Baltic region. Starting last year, it expanded its mandate to include some defence-related investments.